There's nothing like that feeling of pride when we see Thailand being mentioned somewhere in movies, sitcoms or games even. The Land of Smiles' big break would probably be the James Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun. Aside from movies, Thai food has been getting a lot of recognition as well and it's always such a delight when we hear the gang from The Big Bang Theory mention that they're going to have Thai for dinner as they all gather around, sitting on the couch. While we are definitely pleased with the references being made to Thailand, there are some of them that are... well, wrong. We do realise these are all fictional, but we've compiled some of our favourites anyway for your entertainment.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
What's the reference?
If you haven't seen the film yet, 1) what have you been doing? and 2) chill, there are no spoilers here. In fact, you've probably already heard or watched this scene because not only was it hotly discussed in Thai media, but it was also one of the scenes made available prior to the movie's actual release.
We basically see Aunt May and Peter eating at a Thai restaurant and talking, like aunts and nephews do. Aunt May asks Peter if his food is too "larby". The owner/waiter comes by and gives Aunt May a plate of rice which he says is on the house, at which Peter jests that the owner is "in larb" with her (Peter, your aunt is Marisa freaking Tomei. Everyone is "in larb" with her). A brief shot also shows a portrait of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
What's wrong with it?
Two things. First, the guy gives Aunt May a plate of rice that's on the house. A plate of rice? Rice is a staple in most Thai foods and usually comes with the dish you ordered. But okay, let's say the guy did give it for free. Rice is like ten baht. Sure, they're in Queens, NY, but it still can't be that expensive so that free rice is not that big a deal. Dude, you should have given Aunt May a plate of pad thai on the house. Marisa Tomei deserved better.
Second, you may not have realised this but Aunt May and Peter were eating with chopsticks. Sure, we do eat with chopsticks when we have kway teow or bamee, but not when we're eating som tum or freaking larb. Kudos on the larb pun, though.
Hitman
What's the reference?
The latest Hitman game has a whole mission that takes place in Thailand. You're sent to kill someone (duh) at the Himmapan Luxury Resort which is located just outside Bangkok on the riverbank of the Chao Phraya. You start off outside at the docks and get a view of the beautiful sunset and the river and make your way in and around the hotel to figure out how to take out your target. Along the way, you can interact, render unconscious, or kill any of the local guards and staff, which you're bound to do because it is a Hitman game after all.
What's wrong with it?
Well, the first glaring mistake is that though there is a Himmapan Resort, it's in Koh Phayam. However, it can be argued that it's simply a fictional hotel, so we'll let that slide.
The Chao Phraya river in the game is glistening and beautiful. Read that sentence again. "Glistening and beautiful" are not the words we think of when describing the Chao Phraya river. Also, there are a bunch of speedboats docked at the hotel. Heck, there's even a sail boat just casually cruising by. This is something we rarely see on the actual Chao Phraya.
Another thing that's weird is the fact that all the local staff and guards in the hotel speak perfect English with American accents. We're not poking fun at the proficiency of Thais speaking English -- we'll leave that to a certain obnoxious YouTuber that also places coins on train tracks -- but it still isn't realistic.
Little Britain
What's the reference?
There's a character in the British sketch show named Ting Tong, a Thai ladyboy mail-order bride (you can already sense just how wrong this is). The character is played by Matt Lucas, who is of course a white guy. She speaks with a ridiculous accent that's basically the result of a British guy trying very, very hard (and failing miserably) to sound Asian. She's also got family members with similar ridiculous sounding names.
What's wrong with it?
Everything. Literally everything. We can't list them out here because we'll run out of room and they're just too offensive, but you can go on YouTube and see for yourself.
American Dad!
What's the reference?
If you don't watch the show, it focuses on the Smith family which is comprised of Stan, the father; Francine, his wife and their kids, Hayley and Steve. They've also got an alien living with them named Roger. In the episode, Roger the alien begs the family to roast him for his birthday and they do it extremely well. So well, in fact, that Roger vows to kill them all. After another failed attempt, Stan, who works for the CIA, decides to send Roger to the most secure place he knows: Bang Kwang Maximum Security Prison.
What's wrong with it?
The show seems to put the prison in Bangkok when it's actually in Nonthaburi. It also depicts it as somewhat advanced. Roger the alien is placed in a glass box which is then lowered into what we presume is the Chao Phraya River (which is once again really clean) where there's a bunch of mines and a guard in scuba gear. It's wishful thinking to hope that the jail works like this. In reality? The guards use their wooden batons, hit the bars of the cells and listen to the sound to determine whether an inmate has been tampering with the bars. Maximum security indeed.
Marvel Comics
What's the reference?
Spider-Man: Homecoming may be the only film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to reference Thailand, but that's the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You'll be surprised to find out that there have been a few references to Thailand in some of Marvel's comics. Both Logan aka Wolverine and the Punisher have been to Thailand. The Fantastic Four also brokered a peace between two fictional nations in an underwater facility in the Gulf of Thailand. Thailand has also been the victim of a freak weather incident caused by a Stark Industries machine.
Aside from simply being a location, however, Marvel Comics actually has two Thai super-powered characters. The first is Utama "Tom" Somchart, a young artist who goes on the run after spray painting various anti-government slogans. He discovers a temple that grants him the power to make anything from any material and he becomes the villain Stonecutter. The second is a young woman named Cressida, who has the power of life-force absorption and was briefly part of the Avengers, where she was given the name Avenger X before attempting to break them apart and later on single-handedly beating them.
What's wrong with it?
The backstory of Utama Somchart being on the run after spreading anti-government slurs is, we have to say, pretty plausible given the current political climate. However, do you usually hear of a Thai dude named "Tom"? Okay, that may not be that weird, but we bet you've never heard of a young woman from Northern Thailand named Cressida (which was where the Avengers found her). And why are the both of them villains? Can't we get a hero? Then again, it's pretty cool to know that both Stonecutter and Avenger X have bested the Avengers at some point. Yes, we can now brag and say two Thai people have kicked the Avengers' ass. That's for that freak weather incident, Tony.
The Hangover Part II
What's the reference?
Well, the movie takes place in Thailand, so the whole thing is basically a reference.
What's wrong with it?
Oh, where do we even start? There's the fact that when the trio ends up in a shady hotel in Bangkok, there's an icebox where they stow Chow's apparently dead, but not, body in. In reality, hotels -- especially the cheap and shady ones -- have no ice boxes. Then they go to what's called the "Chiang Mei Monastery" which really sounded like "Chiang Mai", but we all know that's impossible. There's the scene of the monks beating the crap out of them which is totally ridiculous. They go to Soi Cowboy and somehow the girls don't shout at them going "Sir! Sir!" because they're three farangs, after all. The monkey, when taken by the Russian mobsters, wears a helmet while riding the motorbike, when in reality even people themselves don't care much for helmets. The trio were able to go to the rooftop restaurant of Lebua looking like absolute crap. And then there's this whole "Bangkok has him" line. What the heck does that even mean? But the biggest mistake of all: the chase scene. Do you really think a chase can happen in Bangkok traffic?
Bangkok Dangerous
What's the reference?
Say what you want about this film and hate on it all you want, but Nicolas Cage and Bangkok is a match made in heaven. That ridiculous hair he sports along with the narrative exposition he provides and the romance arc with the pharmacist set against the backdrop of Bangkok's nightlife and oh-so-edgy mob underbelly is nothing short of magnificent.
What's wrong with it?
It definitely has less glaring mistakes than our previous selections, but there were still a few things we noticed though. Horns seem to be blaring when Bangkok traffic is depicted when in reality, no one really uses their horns unless they're really, really pissed. There's a scene where a guy runs a red light on his motorbike and the police start chasing. We all know that's absolutely ridiculous because motorbikes do that all the dang time. And then there's this whole thing with Nicolas Cage's character wanting his protégé to always be on time. Perhaps he wasn't briefed by those who hired him that "being on time" is a concept that's as foreign to us as the lyrics of Despacito.
Ghost House
What's the reference?
Yet another film set in Thailand, but this movie has yet to be released; the official trailers has stated that it will be out on August 25.
What's wrong with it?
Obviously, we can't do much with just a trailer. But watching it, there's the usual moment of exposition where a local guy is telling these foreigners about this ghost that they've incurred the wrath of. The moment is tense, and finally he says: "In Thai, we call her... Watabe." It's a name which leaves a huge question mark to Thais because there's no ghost, name or word like that in Thai at all. Is the ghost Japanese? Then again, it's still better than Taserface.
